This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
November is here, and it brings with it three NHL games for Monday. As we start the second month of the NHL campaign, it's time to once again delve into the action taking place so I can give you some DFS recommendations. It's a slim docket, but we can make it work.
SLATE PREVIEW
There is one game featuring a team on the second day of a back-to-back, and that's Seattle. The Kraken actually have headed from their home base out to Edmonton, which feels like a real trek. The Oilers have the league's best power play, and it might be in full effect Monday. There are also a couple questionable defenses taking the ice as well.
GOALIES
Mikko Koskinen, EDM vs. SEA ($8,100): They keep saying that Mike Smith is about to return from his leg injury, but it hasn't happened yet. Given that Koskinen has opened the year with a 2.26 GAA and .934 save percentage, why rush him? The Kraken have been unsurprisingly middling offensively – and even that has required things like an unsustainable shooting percentage from Brandon Tanev – and a road game on a back-to-back is not where I expect the Kraken to be firing on all cylinders.
Filip Gustavsson, OTT at CHI ($7,600): If Matt Murray isn't available, I expect the Senators to go with Gustavsson over Anton Forsberg, given that Forsberg has struggled and Gustavsson has a career .933 save percentage, though admittedly over only 12 games. The Blackhawks have managed a mere 1.89 goals per contest, so this is not a particularly threatening opponent.
VALUE PLAYS
Steven Stamkos, TAM vs. WAS ($7,900): Stamkos is starting the season red hot. He's tallied 12 points in eight games, including four on the power play. While his 20.0 shooting percentage is a little high, it's not outside the realm of his potential based on his career. Washington does have a 2.38 GAA, but it has only allowed 25.8 shots on net per game, and I don't expect that to continue. When the shot totals begin to rise, Vitek Vanecek's career .908 save percentage will come into play more.
Drake Batherson, OTT at CHI ($5,300): Speaking of unsustainable things, Batherson has started a staggering 74.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. While that specific number will drop, he should still be near the top of that list for the Senators the rest of the way. That fact – along with the fact he's averaged 19:19 per game in ice time – has helped him to seven points in seven games. As for the Blackhawks, they have a 4.11 GAA.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Oilers vs. Kraken
Connor McDavid (C - $9,200), Zach Hyman (W - $6,300), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $5,600)
I had to get back to this game eventually. The expansion Kraken are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. With Chris Driedger injured, Joey Daccord might be in net for Seattle. I've got two players from the Oilers' elite power play, including the best player in the NHL. McDavid needs no introduction. All I really need to pitch you on is him being worth this salary. I believe him to be, given how scorching hot he – and the Oilers' power play – have been. By the way, the Oilers had the league's best power play last year as well. This is no small-sample fluke. Hyman moved from Toronto to Edmonton and was plopped down on the top line and on the top power-play unit. It's paid off, as he has six goals already, including three with the extra man. Puljujarvi started the year on a six-game point streak, and he has nine points in total.
DEFENSE
Artem Zub, OTT at CHI ($5,000): You likely know Thomas Chabot, but meet his new defensive partner. Zub has played 23:45 per game and started 63.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, numbers that are on par with what Chabot is doing. While he's not likely to be as offensively dynamic as his partner, he does have four assists in seven games. Also, Zub is active defensively, as he's blocked 23 shots as well.
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. SEA ($4,800): Barrie is on the blue line for Edmonton's top power-play unit as well. He joined the Oilers last season and notched 23 points with the extra man in 56 games. This year he's averaged 3:10 with the extra man, and naturally two of his three points have come on the power play. This isn't just about Edmonton either. In his last two seasons with the Avalanche he totaled 55 power-play points.
